Poetry by Ellen Roberts Young
I yearned for Lyon, its medieval market,
signed up for a cruise to see what remained
—and discovered Arles, its white stone walls,
Roman ruins, town of Van Gogh, his hospital
garden kept as he painted it, now alive with
sellers of postcards, placemats, prints of his art.
By the old city gate, buyers crowded at booths
of farmers and crafters. That night, as the ship
sailed north, abundant brilliant stars appeared,
Van Gogh’s Starry Night made real.
Days later, Lyon’s old merchant city, its
magic muted by bistros, busy upscale shops
and wet cobblestones, could not match
the delight of nature’s art: that star-filled sky.
Ellen Roberts Young’s third chapbook, Transported, came out in 2021 with Finishing Line Press. She has two full-length collections, Made and Remade (Wordtech, 2014) and Lost in the Greenwood (Atmosphere, 2020). Recent publications include Slant, Oyster River Pages, Rockvale Review, and Caesura. www.ellenrobertsyoung.com
